UAE ranks No. 1 globally among emerging family office destinations
DIFC recorded 1,408 family-related entities by the end of June 2026, up 36% year on year
The UAE has topped the global ranking of emerging destinations for family offices, scoring 74 points in the overall index, according to the Best Global Destinations for Family Offices report published by the Global Intelligence Unit of Global Citizen Solutions.
The UAE achieved a perfect score of 100 in both regulation and taxation, alongside 78 points in the financial ecosystem category — the highest score among emerging destinations.
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The performance reflects the UAE’s attractive regulatory and tax environment, its increasingly sophisticated financial infrastructure, and the expansion of specialised services catering to the needs of ultra-high-net-worth families in managing their assets and investments and planning intergenerational wealth transfers.
Qatar ranked second among emerging markets, followed by India in third place, Malaysia in fourth and Italy in fifth.
Dubai records 1,408 family-related entities
The report revealed that the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) had recorded 1,408 family-related entities by the end of June 2026, representing year-on-year growth of 36%. The increase highlights the accelerating establishment and expansion of family office-related activities in the emirate.
The report noted that the UAE benefits from specialised regulatory frameworks, including the DIFC’s Family Arrangements Regulations and the frameworks in place at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). These provide a legal environment designed to meet the specific needs of family wealth structures.
The country’s tax regime further enhances its appeal, with no personal income tax and a statutory rate of zero on wealth transfers to the next generation, according to the report.
Dubai ranks seventh globally among financial centres
The report also highlighted Dubai’s seventh-place ranking among global financial centres in the 2026 Z/Yen Partners classification, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a destination for wealth management and specialised financial services.
It explained that the UAE’s classification as an emerging destination does not necessarily reflect the relative maturity of its financial ecosystem. Rather, it stems from the report’s methodology, which distinguishes between centres that have developed regulatory frameworks specifically to attract the family office industry and those where the industry evolved historically before specialised frameworks were introduced.
The DIFC was established in 2004 and introduced a regulatory framework for family offices in 2008, at an early stage in the development of the industry in the region.
Global trends in family offices
On global trends, the report cited the UBS Global Family Office Report 2026, which found that 88% of family offices hold investable financial assets in two or more countries, reflecting the growing importance of geographic diversification and resilience.
Patricia Casaburi, founder and CEO of Global Citizen Solutions, said cross-border mobility had become an integral part of family offices’ diversification strategies rather than a separate consideration.
She explained that the factors prompting families to distribute their assets across multiple countries also applied to decisions concerning the residence and legal status of family members.
João Pacheco, the company’s head of institutional client relations, added that families were increasingly diversifying their citizenship options alongside their assets, with decisions in both areas now being made in an interconnected manner.
